1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control assembly designed to consistent and responsive movement, via a mechanical linkage, between a shiftable control arm and a signal-receiving element. Its advantages include positive correlation between movement of the receiving element between a first and second location and shifting of the control arm between a first and second position, as well as ensuring that the location of the receiving element corresponds consistently to the position of the control arm during shifting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various means of mechanical linkage have been known in control circuits, whereby shifting of a control arm produces responsive movement in receiving element. For example, in the throttle control of a lawn mower, the user may often shift the throttle from a low to a medium and then to a high position to produce corresponding movement of a throttle linkage on a remotely located carburetor. A variety of other uses for such control assemblies have long been known, the control assemblies conventionally including a shiftable control arm coupled to a mounting member, connected by a cable linkage to a movable receiving element, the receiving element being movable responsive to movement of the control arm.
However, users of these prior control assemblies have long been presented with the problem of immediate, responsive movement of the receiving element responsive to shifting of the control arm. Ofttimes, even though the user perceives that the control arm has been shifted beyond a first position, the receiving element lagged behind and remained in that first location corresponding to the first position of the control assembly. For example, in a throttle control, the responsive movement of the carburetor linkage, representing the receiving element, would lag behind movement of the control arm. A further problem was presented by the inconsistency in movement of the receiving element. The receiving element might be located in one intermediate location during shifting of the control arm from low to medium, but be located at a different intermediate position during shifting of the control arm from a high to medium position. Obviously, when attempting to judge speed or other controllable factors, the user prefers that shifting of the control arm to one location is consistently indicated by a single corresponding position of the receiving element.